February 2020

Total Film

The Modern Guide to Movies

Total Film1 min read
Welcome To Total Film The Smater Movie Magazine
Yeah! It’s Fast & Furious time! The TF team are never happier than when another of the knowingly bombastic actioners revs up at cinemas – and we chatted to the ‘family’ to get all the goods on what outsized vehicles will be making appearance along wi
Total Film4 min read
Dialogue Mail, Rants, Theories Etc.
★This Christmas, while overindulging, I couldn’t help but wonder if my love of movies is the very thing that’s ruined the seasonal-movie experience. As a nipper, I used to love reading through the Radio Times double issue, planning what I’d watch, wh
Total Film4 min read
Boston Manner
Slickly updating an old favourite, Spenser Confidential is Netflix’s latest Ace up its sleeve. It’s inspired by the long-running series of detective novels originally written by Robert B. Parker and later continued by the brilliantly named Ace Atkins
Total Film2 min read
Christian Bale
As an actor, Christian Bale likes taking roles he can surprise himself with. “It keeps you going,” he told Collider. Eight years after Bale parked Bruce Wayne’s wheels, one such surprise has gathered rumour-mill momentum: Bale is thought to be making
Total Film2 min read
No Competition
In 1970, 100 million people watched members of the Women’s Liberation Movement protest the Miss World beauty pageant by throwing bags of flour at comedian Bob Hope as he performed live on stage. Remarkably, this wasn’t the only radical act of the nig
Total Film2 min read
Blooming Lovely
The only time Teasers has ever had to use an on-set medic is during an idyllic visit to the Woodhall Estate in Hertfordshire to watch the moment the kids at the heart of the latest adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic novel push their way
Total Film2 min read
Mane Event
April 2019. It’s a cloudless day at Chepstow Racecourse in Wales, and the assembled crowd, including Toni Collette and Damian Lewis, are breathlessly watching the track, getting ever more excited until they erupt into overjoyed hollering. Presumably
Total Film2 min read
Pure Chemistry
Who said that?!” snaps director Marjane Satrapi, all fire and narrowed eyes behind a thick wall of cigarette smoke. One of the producers has just dared to suggest that her new film might be “slightly” more conventional than her others, including Pers
Total Film2 min read
Breaking Bond
When it’s Daniel’s final film and the 25th instalment, you’re going to throw everything at him,” says Rami Malek, with the smile of a man who can’t wait for you to know what he knows. It’s December 2019, and Teasers is face-to-face with the person se
Total Film2 min read
Storm Reid
For most 16-year-olds, starring alongside Oprah Winfrey or Zendaya would be a daunting experience. For Storm Reid it’s simply part of the day job. “I’ve grown up on film sets, so I think I have the balance of being able to be around big names, while
Total Film2 min read
The French Dispatch
Known for delicately carved-out dramas – Nobody Knows, Still Walking, Like Father, Like Son – it was only a matter of time before Hirokazu Kore-eda headed to Europe. Contrary to some beliefs, his new film The Truth was not hurried along after his Can
Total Film1 min read
Juliette Binoche
When did you first meet Kore-eda? Well, I met him for the first time in 2004. We had lunch and we saw each other at different times throughout those 14 years. I went to Japan and we went to Kyoto together, with his producer and my boyfriend. And we h
Total Film2 min read
Unnatural Selection
Pay attention to the title sequence of sci-fi horror Vivarium, and it will tell you everything you need to know about the batshit film you’re about to watch. In it, the common cuckoo bird – a brood parasite – ejects an egg from another bird’s nest, a
Total Film2 min read
My Movie Life
The first one that stands out is PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK because I went with my mother. I sat with my mum at the local cinema watching this really weird, disturbing movie so it left a lasting impression. There’s a hint of burgeoning female sexuality i
Total Film2 min read
Shock And War
Stellan Skarsgård recalls his reaction when Czech director Václav Marhoul contacted him 10 years ago to tell him he was going to adapt and direct Jerzy Kosinski’s incendiary 1965 book. “My first thought is: ‘You nut!’” the jovial Swede booms when he
Total Film2 min read
Girl Power
After exploring women’s rights with Suffragette, director Sarah Gavron wanted to turn her attention to the modern female experience – specifically, teenage girls charting their way through family difficulties, school and friendship. The result is a r
Total Film2 min read
Arabian Fights
After Haifaa Al Mansour directed the 2012 film Wadjda – the first feature to be shot entirely inside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – she took advantage of the exposure it gave her. The Elle Fanning-starring literary biopic Mary Shelley followed. But no
Total Film3 min read
It Shouldn’t Happen To A Film Journalist
The first press screening I ever attended, waaay back in 1996, was Total Eclipse, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and David Thewlis as poet Arthur Rimbaud and his mentor Paul Verlaine. I couldn’t believe I was sitting in a private screening room – the leg
Total Film2 min read
Welfare State
The harrowing story of a child in the German welfare system, System Crasher took writer-director Nora Fingscheidt seven years to complete. “It’s tough when you’re not trained to deal with these horrible real-life stories of children,” she tells Tease
Total Film3 min read
Tim Robbins
He invented the hula-hoop in The Hudsucker Proxy, won an Oscar for Mystic River and directed Bob Roberts and Dead Man Walking. And then there was The Shawshank Redemption, perhaps the greatest prison movie of all time. Now Tim Robbins, 61, is back in
Total Film3 min read
Birds Of Prey And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn
OUT 7 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 15 TBC DIRECTOR Cathy Yan STARRING Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Ella Jay Basco, Ewan McGregor, Chris Messina SCREENPLAY Christina Hodson DISTRIBUTOR Warner Bros RUNNING TIME 109
Total Film3 min read
Portrait Of A Lady On Fire
OUT 28 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR Céline Sciamma STARRING Adèle Haenel, Noémie Merlant, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino SCREENPLAY Céline Sciamma DISTRIBUTOR Curzon RUNNING TIME 122 mins At first glance, French filmmaker Céline Sciamma’s fourth f
Total Film2 min read
Dark Waters
OUT 28 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 12A DIRECTOR Todd Haynes STARRING Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, William Jackson Harper SCREENPLAY Matthew Michael Carnahan, Mario Correa DISTRIBUTOR eOne RUNNING TIME 127 mins Centred on lawyer Rob B
Total Film2 min read
Underwater
OUT 7 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR William Eubank STARRING Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel, Jessica Henwick SCREENPLAY Brian Duffield, Adam Cozad DISTRIBUTOR 20th Century Fox RUNNING TIME 95 mins Underwater does exactly what it says
Total Film1 min read
Escape From Pretoria
CERTIFICATE TBC DIRECTOR Francis Annan STARRING Daniel Radcliffe, Daniel Webber, Mark Leonard Winter, Ian Hart, Stephen Hunter SCREENPLAY Francis Annan, L.H. Adams DISTRIBUTOR Signature Entertainment RUNNING TIME TBC OUT 6 MARCH Harry Potter endured
Total Film2 min read
Military Wives
OUT 6 MARCH CERTIFICATE 12A DIRECTOR Peter Cattaneo STARRING Kristin Scott Thomas, Sharon Horgan, Jason Flemyng, Greg Wise, Gaby French SCREENPLAY Rachel Tunnard, Rosanne Flynn DISTRIBUTOR Lionsgate RUNNING TIME 113 mins Peter Cattaneo’s Military Wiv
Total Film2 min read
Emma
OUT 14 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE TBC DIRECTOR Autumn de Wilde STARRING Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Johnny Flynn, Tanya Reynolds SCREENPLAY Eleanor Catton DISTRIBUTOR Universal RUNNING TIME 132 mins (TBC) Jane Austen films have long seemed like a required r
Total Film2 min read
Dolittle
OUT 7 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE PG DIRECTOR Stephen Gaghan STARRING Robert Downey Jr., Tom Holland, Emma Thompson, Rami Malek SCREENPLAY Stephen Gaghan, Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Chris McKay DISTRIBUTOR Universal RUNNING TIME 101 mins First appearing in a se
Total Film2 min read
A Guide To Second Date Sex
OUT 14 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE TBC DIRECTOR Rachel Hirons STARRING George MacKay, Alexandra Roach, Michael Socha, Kae Alexander, Emma Rigby SCREENPLAY Rachel Hirons DISTRIBUTOR Pinpoint RUNNING TIME 98 mins Romantic comedies tend to make a big deal out
Total Film2 min read
Colour Out Of Space
OUT 28 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR Richard Stanley STARRING Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson SCREENPLAY Scarlett Amaris, Richard Stanley DISTRIBUTOR StudioCanal RUNNING TIME 111 mins TBC Only Nicolas Cage could leave off examining the meteorite th
Total Film2 min read
The Turning
OUT NOW CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR Floria Sigismondi STARRING Mackenzie Davis, Brooklynn Prince, Finn Wolfhard SCREENPLAY Carey Hayes, Chad Hayes DISTRIBUTOR eOne RUNNING TIME 94 mins Between 1961’s impeccable The Innocents and 2009’s BBC botch-job, har
Total Film2 min read
First Love
OUT 14 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR Takashi Miike STARRING Masataka Kubota, Sakurako Konishi, Shôta Sometani, Nao Omori SCREENPLAY Masa Nakamura DISTRIBUTOR Signature Entertainment RUNNING TIME 108 mins It’s been said that First Love is a return
Total Film2 min read
True History Of The Kelly Gang
OUT 28 FEBRUARY CERT 18 DIRECTOR Justin Kurzel STARRING George MacKay, Essie Davis, Russell Crowe, Nicholas Hoult, Orlando Schwerdt SCREENPLAY Peter Carey, Shaun Grant DISTRIBUTOR Picturehouse Entertainment RUNNING TIME 124 mins Returning to form aft
Total Film1 min read
Box Office Charts
No stories, thankfully, of viewers griping that they’d missed the first 1,916 instalments in the series. Still baffled by the whole ‘single shot’ hype, though; we counted way more being fired than that. Gerwig’s take feels definitive, but if there is
Total Film10 min read
DROPPING THE F&M-BOMB
It’s only been five seconds and Vin Diesel has already dropped the F-word. This should come as a surprise to no one; after all, he’s talking to Total Film about Fast & Furious 9 – the latest chapter in the full-throttle Fast Saga, and more than ever
Total Film2 min read
Jordana Brewster
How does Mia react to Jakob’s return? I’m kind of the intermediary between Jakob and Dom, but I’m completely torn. Let’s say Mia didn’t share the same point of view as Dom about what happened, so that was interesting because we haven’t had that kind
Total Film2 min read
Greed
OUT 21 FEBRUARY CERTIFICATE 15 DIRECTOR Michael Winterbottom STARRING Steve Coogan, Isla Fisher, David Mitchell, Shirley Henderson, Asa Butterfield SCREENPLAY Michael Winterbottom DISTRIBUTOR Sony RUNNING TIME 104 mins After three films and three sea
Total Film2 min read
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• Die cast metal 1:100 replica of the Hogwarts Express as featured in the Harry Potter film franchise • Created by iconic British brand • 190mm in length, suitable for ages 6+ IN ADDITION TO GETTING THE HARRY POTTER HOGWARTS EXPRESS COLLECTABLE FIGUR
Total Film8 min read
The Irishmen
Total Film first met director Nick Rowland during the 2015 BAFTAs, when he told us (as we queued to get into the venue) he was developing an adaptation of a short story about ferocious thugs in rural Ireland. We wished him luck and thought nothing mo
Total Film3 min read
Calming Influence
What did you make of Colin Barrett’s short story? I come from a small town in Ireland, so these characters that this guy had written… I’ve met these people. I think it really captured that rural, isolated kind of town where if you get involved in som
Total Film1 min read
Squad Goals
“I’m in the middle of filming it. I don’t want to steer you in the right or wrong direction, but I will tell you that it’s full of surprises, and a lot of those surprises are based on assumptions of the audience. And there’s a lot of assumptions of t
Total Film6 min read
A New Hope?
There has been a great disturbance in the Force. In 2019, for the first time in Star Wars’ 43-year history, the latest movie in the Skywalker saga was not the biggest cultural event to emerge from that galaxy far, far away. Instead, with The Rise Of
Total Film1 min read
Behind The Mask
How did you prepare for the role of The Mandalorian? I asked Jon Favreau, “What would you like me to watch?” His eyes lit up and he immediately brought up Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone with movies like Yojimbo and The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Fo
Total Film7 min read
Snow Joke
February 2019. Total Film has packed its ski boots and set off for the Austrian ski town of Ischgl. It’s where the production of Downhill is currently shooting. The film crew looks incongruous on the snow-filled streets and quaint cobbled roadways, b
Total Film7 min read
Happily Ever After?
Driving off into the sunset is all well and good, but how would your favourite movie couple actually fare after ‘The End’. Would they carry on living a romantic ideal, or would they have parted company before the post-credits sting? To find out, Tota
Total Film15 min read
John Krasinski
It’s always gratifying to discover the impression we have of well-known people matches up to reality. John Krasinski rose to fame playing the sweet but smart Jim Halpert during nine seasons of the US version of The Office and – via marriage to fellow
Total Film2 min read
Rainbow Connection
FILM EXTRAS 2019 OUT NOW Digital HD, DVD, BD EXTRAS Featurettes, Deleted scenes The story of a flagging stage-and-screen star who takes up a late-career residency in London, Judy shares a remarkable amount of DNA with 2018’s Stan & Ollie. Both films
Total Film2 min read
Renée Zellweger
Did you ever have doubts about channelling Judy? I actually didn’t really ever let myself think about it that way. It was more of a curiosity about the possibility. We just kept trying things, and never stopped. You started working on the singing and
Total Film2 min read
Blood Rush
FILM EXTRAS OUT 10 FEBRUARY BD EXTRAS Commentaries, Deleted scene Back in 2015, writer/director Joe Begos unleashed his sophomore effort The Mind’s Eye, a gripping and pulpy tale of telekinesis that showed all those forgettable Scanners sequels exact
Total Film1 min read
Parent Trap
FILM EXTRAS OUT 21 FEB DIGITAL HD 2 MARCH DVD, BD EXTRAS None The directorial debut of producer Ant Timpson (Turbo Kid, The Greasy Strangler), Come To Daddy received ecstatic notices when it toured film festivals in 2019. But viewed at home where, wi
Total Film1 min read
Gardener’s World
FILM EXTRAS 1979 OUT NOW BD EXTRAS Documentary, Featurettes, Deleted scenes/outtakes, Hal Ashby seminar audio recording, Booklet Hal Ashby’s brilliant political satire stars Peter Sellers as Chance, a simple-minded, live-in gardener at the home of a
Total Film2 min read
Shooting Stars
Back in 2018, Season 1 of Sky’s Bulletproof brought the buddy-cop genre to East London, with detectives Ronnie Pike (Ashley Walters) and Aaron Bishop (Noel Clarke) bonding and bantering on the beat. “The first season was real hard-hitting and fast-pa
Total Film4 min read
Back To Iraq
A tyre bursts and gunfire rings out as a car drives at top speed into a heavily fortified checkpoint. Later, an injured American soldier is wheeled into a makeshift hospital, nursing brutal-looking head injuries after an explosion. TF has come to Rab

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